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New Hy-Vee Market Cafe to open in June

Zach Shank, store director of Worthington’s Hy-Vee, stands inside the area that will be home to the new Hy-Vee Market Cafe, which is scheduled to open mid-June. Ryan McGaughey/Daily Globe

WORTHINGTON — Step inside the Worthington Hy-Vee and it’s difficult to miss a sign of the construction that began last week.

The area reserved for folks who want to enjoy a meal or snack inside the supermarket is currently sectioned off, and tables and chairs are now temporarily located near the fruit and produce area. By June, however, the work is slated to be completed, and visitors to the store will be able to enjoy the benefits of a full-service restaurant.

The Hy-Vee Market Café will offer several more dining options than currently available at the supermarket, will offer a true family dining experience, store director Zach Shank said Thursday.

“It’s a full-service restaurant,” Shank continued. “You’ll still be able to eat from the Chinese, Italian, kitchen or deli departments and then go sit in the restaurant. We have now just ordered another option of ordering from our Market Café menu.”

Shank said the menu will be completed with items including appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, flatbread pizzas and more — “all cooked to order, just like you’d find in a regular restaurant.” The restaurant is expected to have seating for 150 people, with current renovations entailing plumbing work as well as removal of a wall that has been in the dining area.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant will also be changed, Shank added.

Beer, wine and liquor will all be sold inside the restaurant, Shank said. Alcohol will be strictly limited to the restaurant area.

Diners entering the restaurant will pass through a door inside the supermarket — there will not be a direct entry to the café from the outside — and be greeted by hostesses. Shank said with the addition of host personnel, as well as line cooks, bartenders and managerial staff, about 30 to 50 additional Hy-Vee employees will be hired.

The café is slated to open at 6 a.m. daily and close at 11 p.m.

“We’ll be having different daily specials, just like you’d find at a regular restaurant,” Shank said. “What this is, it’s another family dining option in the community. We pride ourselves on our service now, and adding a full-service restaurant is a great way to help service to our customers grow even more.”

I first joined the Daily Globe in April 2001 as sports editor. I later became the news editor in November 2002, and the managing editor in August 2006. I'm originally from New York State, and am married with two children.